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4.06.2011

Nursery Update #1

I'm not sure I've mentioned it before on this blog, but I LOVE craigslist. It is the best online marketplace that I've ever seen. Granted I've only bought and sold a handful of things over the years, but it has never failed me. In fact, I am known to stalk it at least once a day to check out what's new in the area. I treat it almost like Home Goods. I rarely ever NEED to go there, but I always love browsing. And its usually when I'm not looking for something specific that I run into an awesome accessory or piece of furniture (good for the home, not for the wallet). So, when I'm browsing craigslist on a daily basis, its usually for things that I think I might WANT for the house someday, rather than things that I NEED. This past weekend, however, I actually stumbled across something that I need.....or at least will need in a few months.......a glider/rocker for the nursery! I've been eyeing them at Babies R' Us and Pottery Barn for the last few weeks and just couldn't bite the bullet and pay full price for one. But, as usual, Craiglist came to the rescue!!! A woman a few towns over from me was getting rid of hers to make more space in her daughters' toddler room and it was BARELY used. Honestly, when I first checked it out in person, I could have sworn that she had never sat on it before! It is this Pottery Barn Glider:

Same colors too: white on white (or rather ivory on ivory since PB's white is a little creamier than most). And if you noticed on the PBK website linked above, these bad boys sell for $850 including glider, ottoman and cushions for both). And that is if you just go with the basic fabric (which they rank as Grade A). My new craigslist friend was asking $450 for the chair, but I offered $400 and she accepted!!! YAY!! Such a good deal. I mean, I know that its still expensive for a chair, but I would totally put this in my bedroom when we no longer need it in the nursery (or any future nurseries). It is a pretty versatile piece since its all white. I don't like spending that much money on craigslist finds, but I made an exception for this baby (pun TOTALLY intended). After looking at so many options (BuyBuyBaby, Overstock, Babies R' Us, etc) I found that most decent upholstered glider/rockers run upwards of $600 (and that is WITHOUT the ottoman most of the time). So I went into this transaction knowing that although its a steep price to pay for a hand-me-down, it is a great deal for a brand-new-looking sturdy piece of furniture that will last us for years and years to come. I had to think of it as an investment. And also pitch it to B as that....haha. He was actually REALLY happy that it was under $500. I guess he heard a few of his friends talking about the ones they bought for their wives as push-presents (which is a topic for another day, I promise) and they were upwards of $1000. So....needless to say, he was relieved when I told him about the deal!

Well, enough babbling about this deal and my love for craigslist. Onto more important issues of the day.....nursery decor! So, I've gone back and forth a few times with color schemes over the last few months but I think I've finally honed in on "the one". My inspiration comes from the Graham Bedding Collection from Serena & Lily:

If you haven't checked out the website before, I highly suggest it. The prices are high for most items, but everything is beautiful, and if nothing else, you can walk away with some great ideas. I see it as a place that I can go to pick up one or two things and then build around it from cheaper items. And that is exactly what I plan to do for this nursery. So, as you can see, I've decided on navy blue (a little darker than chambray), light blue and yellow for the color scheme. The Graham bedding collection is amazing, but its also $400 and that just isn't in the budget for our little one at the moment. So, here's the plan:

(1) Buy the mosaic fabric that you see in the photo (yes, it is $40 a yard, but I only need 1...maybe 2 yards of it, so its not too bad) to make the crib skirt and maybe a pillow and some artwork.....my mom has agreed to help me do the crib skirt so I'm really excited to work on this project together!!!
(2) Purchase a bumper from here in the chambray stripe fabric (which matches the Graham fabric pretty well) - $25
(3) Find some white and yellow crib sheets to alternate based on my mood and to add a little pop of color here and there.
(4) And the final project involves making some pillows and bunting (to hang over the crib from one wall to the other in lieu of a mobile) out of scraps from each of these fabrics.

What do you guys think?? Anyone made a crib skirt before or even a regular bed skirt?? If so, please share any thoughts or wisdom. I would GREATLY appreciate it!!!

And here are some of the fabrics I picked up from IKEA that I will probably use for floor pillows and maybe even a band of fabric on the white curtains (Oh, and those are from IKEA too....the Ritva ones.....I have them all over my house and I LOVE them!!). And you can get a peak of the chair in the crazy messy nursery that is going on right now!

Oh, and I forgot the most important part: I am having the nursery furniture professionally painted by this lovely woman that I found on......wait for it.......craigslist! She is TOTALLY affordable and can do it in just a couple of weeks. She is going to do a dresser (which I found on craigslist as well) and the crib (a convertible one that my brother and sister-in-law are GRACIOUSLY giving to us for free) in a white color that is TBD. Speaking of white, I should do a whole post on how hard it is to choose white paint. It is CRAZY how many options there are....but I digress.

Although I would love to tackle a project like this normally, I just don't think its a good idea to get into stripping, painting and applying poly at this point in my pregnancy. We are using a no-VOC paint anyway (for both the walls and the furniture), so its really just the stripping stuff that makes me nervous. And even if I were comfortable doing it myself (which some woman are, and I'm sure it is totally fine), I don't think my husband or parents would let me. They have gotten to the point lately that they won't even let me bring the mail in for fear that I'll pull a muscle! It's really sweet, but for someone that is used to tackling projects on her own, its a little debilitating. I guess I should just sit back and relish the relaxation while it lasts though.....because it won't be like this much longer!!

3 comments:

That's a steal for that glider. We paid over $700 for ours with the matching ottoman. We loved it and my sister now has it. - it's so worth it!! I love your choices thus far. it's going to look gorgeous!

about me

Hi! My name is Heather and I am a wife, a stay-at-home mom, novice photographer and DIYer/designer (among other things). Most days I am just trying to balance being a mom while staying creative, artistic and sane. In my spare time (whatever that means), you will likely find me designing, photographing, renovating and decorating our house.
This is the story of how we are transforming it into a simple...beautiful...home.